Solicitation letter to mines chamber surprises cardinal
Jul 24, 2006
Without admitting or denying the reported solicitation, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said yesterday he doesn’t know who wrote the letter asking for P500,000 from the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.
(Sun Star, July 17, 2006) The letter, dated April 10 of this year, bears the prelate’s name and signature, as well as the official seal and letterhead of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
In an interview yesterday, Cardinal Vidal said he does not know anything about the letter yet since he just arrived from Valencia, Spain last Friday.
He also mentioned having solicitations for the foundation he is putting up, but he did not clarify any connection between the foundation and the mining chamber.
“What is that? I have just arrived. No, I don’t know who did that,” Vidal said after being shown a copy of the letter he supposedly sent to Chamber of Mines of the Philippines President Philip Romualdez.
In pain
The cardinal was reported to have written the letter asking the chamber for a donation of P500,000 for a foundation his friends are putting up.
“Yes, it’s for the foundation but I don’t know yet what is that. Please do not ask me anything because I have just arrived and I am in pain,” he told Sun.Star Cebu after his mass.
Cardinal Vidal celebrated mass at the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel yesterday morning.
In his homily, he thanked the Blessed Virgin Mary for the protection and guidance, which he personally experienced during his trip to Spain earlier this month.
He urged the faithful to accept the presence of Mother Mary in their homes and to strengthen their devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
“As men and women of hope, let us be devotedly clothed with the brown scapular, which as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel promised, is a badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of peace and special protection until the end of time,” Vidal said.
According to an article published in this week’s issue of the news magazine Newsbreak, Cardinal Vidal was reported to have written Romualdez a letter asking for a P500,000 donation to a foundation his friends were putting up in his behalf.
Sun.Star Cebu obtained a copy of the letter, where the cardinal supposedly sought the chamber’s help to fund his food-sharing program in the archdiocese.
The letter, however, did not state other details about the foundation.
It also mentioned the jubilee celebrations of the cardinal this year and his wish “to be able to further reach out to the poor and underprivileged so I may be able to share with them the many gifts that our Lord has bestowed upon me.”
The author also requested the chamber to be one of the few members of the foundation’s council of advisers.
“Bearing in mind the basic objectives of the foundation, may I also appeal for your financial support. A donation of P500,000 will greatly provide the seed money to keep my projects ongoing even after my retirement,” the letter read.
Earlier this month, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) cautioned the Arroyo administration when it began promoting mining to investors.
The CBCP called on the stakeholders of the mining industry to ensure the environment is protected and that nearby communities could benefit from mining operations in the country.
Solicitation letter to mines chamber surprises cardinal